The Ship

[Polaris]

So the ship is up for preorder. I would get this but I really don't like the art style. The gameplay sounds interesting though but I've never tried the HL1 mod. What do you think?

[Zeta]

Doesn't really look like my cup of tea at all to be honest.

[MrH2o]

I liked the mod for HL1, altho it tends to be one of thoose games that you play freqently for 2 days and then forget you have it (anyone wanna buy my Red Orchestra?)

[Campaignjunkie]

I played the HL1 demo a bit. It was fun... that is, if you knew what to do and had a strategy. Here's how the HL1 gameplay worked, as I saw it:

Every player is assigned another player target to kill. First, you have to find out who he is. To get a player's name, you have to +use them. Once you get their name, you can follow them throughout the ship and eventually kill them. So, you +use them and kill them, real easy right?

The thing is, there are a bunch of AI bots on the ship as well. Most people generally ignore them, because you can usually tell who's a bot and who's a player pretty easily - the bots rarely run, they walk in straight lines, they rarely strafe, etc.

Thus, the challenge actually lies in blending in with these bots, so that your would-be assassin (or possible target) ignores you and assumes you're a bot. You walk in straight lines, you turn really slowly, etc. Human players will make a mistake and run too fast, or turn too quickly - at which point, you carefully trail them back to their cabin... and when they're asleep... POW!

.. While I'm sure there are other play styles, that's what intrigued me when I played it. It's kind of like being a spy in TFC. You have to play towards other player's expectations and deceive them. There's a lot of "player psychology" involved... if you actually play for more than a few minutes instead of judging it solely by the screenshots.

I'm not sure if I would pay for it, though.

[FrieChamp]

Sounds genius to me, I was thinking about a similar design for an MMO, maybe I should put more thought into it...

Someone here is working on the ship, I forgot who exactly, I just wanted to point out that I have not been selected for beta testing!

[D3ads]

I don't like the look of it all to be honest, it also looks like they copied the idea of Starship Titanic in visual style a bit, or maybe that's just me.

[ReNo]

I'm working on The Ship, and I vouch for it being much fun All the team jump into a big playtest on Friday afternoons and its always a great laugh. People spewing all over the place after being poisoned, or peeing themselves in the middle of a corridor (or even collapsing into a pile of dust) due to neglecting their needs, never fails to entertain It feels so different to other FPS games due to the less hectic, more subtle gameplay, and while that might not be everybodies cup of tea, it certainly sets it apart. And of course it can still be hectic when your hunter whips out a Katana and all you have to defend yourself is a frying pan!

As CJ said, people don't really appreciate the game until they have played it and "get" it (as in, understand how to play). I remember playing the HL1 mod and some people were slagging it off because they simply didn't know what they were doing. The Ship is all about being cunning - misleading both your quarry and your hunter - but it also relies a lot on learning the maps - knowing where to find weapons, where to tend to your needs, and where to watch out for security. The more time you put into the game the more enjoyable it becomes

I look forward to playing any of you guys who decide to grab the game come July. If anybody has any questions about the game then fire away and I'll answer if I can!

PS. Sorry Frie, beta testers were chosen before I started working here

[h2]

It was my favourite hl1 mod, I have to buy this

[Phatsniper]

I love it, I've been beta testing it for the past month or so and it's all I wanted and more. The gameplay is so addictive and it gets you laughing so much. I loved the HL1 mod and I'm really happy to see it grow into something so much more.

Reno, I don't think I've had a game with you yet? I'm usually in the irc channel so give me a shout if you're going for a game!

[ReNo]

Don't think I have played with you yet, I'll look you up next time I play. Will probably be at the weekend, possibly the normal Sunday playtest slots, as I've a fair amount of work to be doing before then

[FrieChamp]

I look forward to playing any of you guys who decide to grab the game come July. If anybody has any questions about the game then fire away and I'll answer if I can!

PS. Sorry Frie, beta testers were chosen before I started working here Razz

It shall be forgiven. Now ship it finally (pun intended), I just pre-ordered it and wanna play!

[ShaDoW]

I liked the HL1 version, though it always felt like there were very few servers and not that many people. I wonder what kind of impact that will have when people will have to pay for it also.

Might buy it though.

[Thrik]

I don't like the look of it all to be honest, it also looks like they copied the idea of Starship Titanic in visual style a bit, or maybe that's just me.

Needs more skulls, blood and demons??? Honestly D3, you need to broaden your horizons!

Looks cool and I'd be tempted to give it a go if it's deemed worthy by others, though I'm on the wall after seeing this:

Just kidding. But you want to slap Valve for allowing that to slip by, Reno. D:

[insta]

Hah, I noticed the same thing Thrik. Wonder how that got through.

[ReNo]

Haha, take a look at the pre-order page on Steam as well - gives the minimum spec as "Windows 1000" and recommended spec as "Windows 200" Sloppy Valve